I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 109 Dimensionality Reduction Strike
  Ferdinand, who was born in 1865, has just turned 18 this year. He is still continuing his studies in Germany and usually lives in Germany.

"Honorable - Yurievsky - Super -" Ferdinand's Russian was not very good, and he felt as if he had just learned the greeting on the spur of the moment, speaking awkwardly.

"Your Highness, you can speak German directly." George spoke German fluently.

Ferdinand's surprised expression was like that of a country bumpkin who had entered the city, and then his face was full of shame.

"I have just started learning Russian and am not proficient enough yet." If Ferdinand wanted to inherit the Romanian throne, Russian was a required course.

"It doesn't matter, it was the same when I started learning German. German is too difficult for me -" George complained that German was difficult to learn. Ferdinand nodded repeatedly, feeling the same. Russian was also difficult for Ferdinand.

German is actually not difficult. Among the top ten most difficult languages ​​in the world, German is only ranked seventh.

Number one is Chinese.

George said this just to make Ferdinand feel better.

"But your German is very good and standard. It is better than many Germans." Ferdinand was envious and could not learn the language talent.

Language is like mathematics, it is difficult for anyone to understand.

George is very lucky in this regard. His memory is so good that he can remember anything after reading it once.

There is no shortage of German teachers in the Russian court. For many people, the pronunciation problem that is difficult to stutter can be easily solved by George.

"Who told me to have so many German relatives?" George suddenly remembered that he and Ferdinand were also related from the German emperor's side.

Ferdinand hesitated to speak, obviously thinking about this relationship, but he was embarrassed to say it. If he said it, it would be somewhat suspected of being a relative, which is not decent.

"So we are also relatives." George didn't care about being decent or not, he only cared about whether he could have a good relationship with the crown prince.

In fact, it doesn’t have to be so troublesome.

In 1893, Ferdinand married Princess Mary Victoria from Edinburgh. Mary's mother was Maria Alexandrovna, the only daughter of Alexander II and the Queen.

So, George was Ferdinand's uncle.

What happened in 1893 has not happened yet, and George does not know that he and Ferdinand will become real relatives in the future. Even if he knows, George does not care.

Nicholas and Wilhelm II were still cousins, which did not delay Russia and Germany from having their brains ripped out in the world war.

"Is there any fun place in Bucharest? I promised Nicky that I would bring him a gift." George needed a guide, and Ferdinand was the best candidate.

Although George's identity was embarrassing in St. Petersburg, in Romania, George was a super duke from the Russian Empire and was fully qualified to let Ferdinand serve as a guide.

In other words, except for Ferdinand, no one else is qualified to be George's guide.

"There are some, but I'm not sure if His Highness likes it." Ferdinand was very careful. Russia was too powerful for Romania.

This is the tragedy of a small country with few people.

Romania's alliance with Germany is not necessarily because Romania likes Germany, but because Romania simply does not have the qualifications to reject Germany.

Romania's alliance with Germany and Austria only involved defense, not offense.

This means that if a war breaks out between Germany, Austria and Russia, Romania has no obligation to help Germany and Austria-Hungary.

In contrast, cooperation between Romania and Russia has no upper limit.

In the Tenth Russo-Turkish War, Romania and Russia fought side by side, winning Romania's independent status.

With this premise, Ya San only needs to hook up in St. Petersburg, and Carol I will——

This metaphor is not appropriate.

If it were Ya San, all he had to do was make a phone call, and Carol I would happily go to the appointment.

You also have to dress yourself up beautifully.

"It doesn't matter. Nicky is easy to talk to. He is a good person and treats everyone well. Peter from Oldenburg once made a mistake and soiled Nicky's clothes. Nicky did not send him to Siberia, but just sent him to Siberia. I lost a new one." George's words made Ferdinand frightened. Is the Russian crown prince so barbaric?
  According to George, that unfortunate Peter should be sent to Siberia.

"Did you hear it? This is Russian humor." George's explanation made Ferdinand relax a little.

Not too relaxed either.

The circle of top European aristocrats was not large, and Ferdinand knew that Peter, whom George was talking about, was the first heir to Prince Oldenburg.

Peter was Nikolai's childhood playmate, and it was normal for Nikolai to be tolerant of Peter.

What if someone else soiled Nikolai's clothes?

Then "sent to Siberia" is not necessarily humorous.

"Yes, it's really funny." Regardless of whether he understood the humor or not, Ferdinand had to laugh with him.

"Then we'll go out for a walk later." George took the initiative to invite, and Ferdinand agreed.

Some people disagree.

There were many people attending the welcome banquet, including some special guests, such as Archduke Otto Franz from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Otto Franz's father was the younger brother of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I. His elder brother was Archduke Ferdinand whose assassination triggered the First World War.

Otto Franz has just turned 18 this year and is traveling around the world, and Bucharest is the first stop on his journey around the world.

"What is there to see here? If you want to go shopping, you should go to a big city like Vienna." Otto Franz was very proud of Vienna, and Vienna was indeed a big city.

But in front of the Crown Prince of Romania, he so bluntly disliked the Romanian capital. It seemed that the Grand Duke was not too smart.

That’s right if you’re not smart.

The Russian royal family is full of idiots.

The Austro-Hungarian royal family fared no better.

The current crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is not Archduke Ferdinand, but Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Joseph and Princess Sissi.

In 1889, Rudolf and his mistress committed suicide in love at the Mayerling hunting lodge, and Ferdinand became the Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Archduke Ferdinand was not a smart man either. He thought that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was not chaotic enough as a two-element empire, and he hoped that Serbia would also join in to form an Austria-Hungary-Serbia-super three-element empire.

This sentence seems very complicated.

"How can you say that? This is disrespectful to Romania." George was overjoyed. This man appeared so timely.

"Only strength deserves respect -" Otto Franz was inconsistent and did not respect George enough: "-Only by frankly admitting this can the Romanians know their status in this world."

There is no doubt that Otto Franz was a candid man.

Disgustingly frank.

The fundamental reason why good quality is precious is scarcity. Frankness is not popular because the truth always hurts.

Romania was indeed weak compared to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

But this does not give Otto Franz a reason to hurt others. Weakness and ignorance are never obstacles to survival, arrogance is.

Now that such a fool comes to his door, George will definitely not let him go.

So George added fuel to the fire: "Excuse me, the reason why you can stand here and appear at the royal banquet is based on your own strength or the glory of your family?"

"Isn't it the same for you?" Otto Franz's counterattack was also sharp.

"Yes, I know this clearly, so I never say stupid things." George was very happy. The more idiots like this, the better.

But George is also very sorry. If this idiot was the crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it would be more perfect for Russia.

Thinking about it this way, George began to understand what Nicholas meant by "demeanor".

Why should we hit such an idiot and let him know the cruelty of the real world?

Letting him indulge in his own stupid world is the best destination for him.

So George decided to look more graceful.

"Why don't we go for a walk outside? The air there will be better." George wanted to stay away from the idiot to avoid being infected.

"Damn it, you're the idiot!" Otto Franz kept pestering him.

Idiots are stupid because they make the same mistakes on the same issues.

And he makes mistakes again and again and never accepts a lesson.

Smart people will make mistakes, but they will not make the same mistakes on the same issue.

So be careful when dealing with smart people, because smart people will not give third chances to those who make mistakes.

"Do you know why Austria-Hungary is called the sick man of Europe? It's because there are too many idiots like you." George didn't mind that Otto Franz continued to show his stupidity.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, like the Ottoman Empire, was called the "sick man of Europe". Vienna newspapers couldn't help complaining: "Austria is the loser of Europe!"

"You are the idiot! You Russians are the sick man of Europe!" Otto Franz was not very good at quarreling and could not come up with any new tricks.

"The Ottomans definitely don't agree with what you say." George's expression was like a subway old man looking at his mobile phone.

If Russia is the sick man of Europe, then what is the newly defeated Ottoman Empire?
  European corpse?

"Yes, you did defeat the Ottomans, but what did you get?" Otto Franz's mood became fast. He was angry with the previous sentence, but now he was triumphant.

Russia did not gain anything, it just got back what it lost in the ninth Russo-Turkish War.

Instead, Austria-Hungary obtained Bosnia and Herzegovina with the help of Germany through the Berlin Conference.

What's even more amazing is that Britain, which had almost nothing to do with this war, got Cyprus.

To talk about taking advantage of the situation, it has to be Anglo-Saxon.

"We gave the Slavs living in the Balkans the power to decide their own destiny." George's words made Ferdinand in awe.

Compared with Austria, which only knows how to take advantage of the situation, Russia is the savior of the Balkan Slavs.

Appropriate display of grace is still very effective.

The next day, Ferdinand arrived early at the palace where George and Milyutin lived.

Ferdinand felt that he had arrived early enough, but he didn't expect to meet George who was returning from running.

Even in Bucharest, George did not change his morning exercise routine.

Ferdinand was so surprised that he could not utter a word, because George passed two bridges and ran a circle around the Dembovica River, a distance of about ten kilometers.

It’s just a jog in the morning. Does it need to be as far as ten kilometers?

And George didn't look like he had run ten kilometers. He walked easily, breathed steadily, and most of his clothes were still dry.

"Your Highness, please allow me to tidy things up a bit." George carried out his demeanor to the end, leaving the devilish side to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

"Is your Highness always like this?" Ferdinand took the initiative to chat with Demeter.

"The Duke's self-discipline is well known in St. Petersburg. Unless a knife comes from the sky, the Duke may be able to sleep in." Demeter is also used to morning exercises, but he is not as perverted as George.

"Is His Royal Highness really only 12 years old?" Jan Bretianu's youngest son Wendile was equally interested in George.

Ventiler had just come of age and, like his two brothers, worked beside Ion Bretianu. In the future, Ventiler also served as the Prime Minister of Romania.

"The Duke does not like others to discuss his age." Demeter is a truly graceful person and does not need to pretend.

"The Duke is really tall and strong. He looks like a real general." Wen Tiller was envious. George's figure perfectly fits the European definition of Russia.

The image of Russia in the minds of most Europeans is that of a physically strong barbarian.

This has a lot to do with Russia's belief in Orthodox Christianity.

Romania's state religion is also Orthodox.

George was fast and simply took a shower and changed his clothes before setting off. This time it was not a glamorous dress, but an ordinary Guards officer uniform.

"It's time to go -" George greeted Ferdinand, who looked dull.

Russia is not only famous for its "barbarism", but it is also famous for its extreme luxury. It is said that the Grand Dukes of St. Petersburg all lived a luxurious and luxurious life.

This can understand why Ferdinand was so surprised.

As the Crown Prince of Romania, Ferdinand was not as lavish as the Grand Dukes of St. Petersburg, but he did not keep a low profile to this extent.

I don't know why, but after seeing George's officer uniform and then looking at his own dress, Ferdinand felt a little dazzled.

Ferdinand came in a carriage. Considering George's status, Ferdinand also prepared a carriage for George that was as gorgeous as the Russian royal family.

George was not used to carriages, so he rode horses directly. And just like the habit in St. Petersburg, there was a saber on the left side of the saddle and a rifle on the right side. The pistol worn on his waist was carefully modified by Igor.

"Actually, Archduke Franz is right. Bucharest is not a big city like St. Petersburg or Berlin. There is nothing to offer -" Ferdinand said bitterly. It was not easy to admit this.

George noticed that Ferdinand used the capitals of Russia and Germany as examples respectively, rather than Vienna, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

This shows that Ferdinand did not agree with Franz's words.

"Don't let that stupid guy affect our interest. St. Petersburg and Berlin are indeed big cities, but Bucharest also has its own characteristics. It is a city with a long history and a glory that is unique to Romania and deserves everyone's respect." George has it at his fingertips. Political correctness in the 21st century is a dimensionality reduction attack in this era.

(End of this chapter)